Post by MP on Jan 6, 2011 18:01:23 GMT

Oliver TwistDavid Lean 1948 UKIn Victorian London, an orphan is exploited as a thief by a Jewish miser and a vicious alcoholic. Powerful if often rambling Dickens adaptation that captures a London that is grotesque and uncomfortable. Its titular young boy doesn't appear on the end credits until the second scroll, and for what seems like the entire penultimate reel he's scarcely seen at all; as such, this is less about his story as it is a particular way of life at a particular time, and its contrived plotting should be forgiven and the swiftness with which certain episodes unfold cinematically should be admired. It's quite a brutal film; even Alec Guinness as Fagin is barely sympathetic.See also: DAVID LEAN.